LITTLE RED DREAM Machine
Back when I was in my late 20s, I lived on the beautiful Lleyn Peninsula, a stretch of land in northwest Wales that reaches like an arm out into the Irish Sea. I had not long bought a Massey Ferguson 35 that I used for harrowing, rolling, hay making and for popping to the shop with, and it really was my pride and joy.
Many was the time when I was working with the MF in the fields, I would see a little face pop up over the hedge – and there would be young Robat Thomas from the farm next door watching me. About 9 years old then, Robat was a quiet and serious dark-haired boy.
Although Robat’s family had plenty of tractors, they were all big modern machines, and young Robat was quite smitten with my little red tractor. He used to tell his parents how wonderful it was, to the point that they were all getting quite tired of hearing about the little red tractor.
Robat also became quite obsessed with tractor magazines, always looking for pictures and information on MF 35s and dreaming about owning one. Although Robat claims that it was my MF 35 that started his fascination with little red tractors, his mum,, which is about the adventures of, yes, you’ve guessed it, a little red tractor called Tecwyn. In the end, Robat’s parents gave in and agreed to buy him a little red tractor to restore slowly, so that when he was old enough, he would be able to use it on the farm.
